2ND MAY 1997 by Jack Thorne

in association with Watford Palace Theatre and Mercury Theatre Colchester

2nd May 1997. An historic victory. The Tories, 18 years in power, are defeated as New Labour sweeps into government. From the euphoria and despair, three deeply personal stories emerge.

Tory MP Robert prepares to attend the count. With defeat looming large, he fears becoming a forgotten man while his wife Marie counts the cost of her own sacrifice to politics. Lib Dem footsoldier Ian is no hero but party-crasher Sarah is determined to make him one. Best mates Jake and Will wake up to a new world order and try to memorise the cabinet before their politics A Level class. Jake dreams of Number 10. Will dreams of Jake.

A smouldering new play from one of Britain's most exciting young writers about escaping the past, seizing the present and owning the future.

He was the first recipient of the Genesis Director's Award from the Young Vic and is a member of Old Vic New Voices. George trained on the National Theatre Studio Director's Course and at The Maly Theatre, St Petersburg with the Young Vic.

Designer

Hannah Clark

Hannah trained in theatre design at Nottingham Trent University and Central School of Speech and Drama. She was a winner of the 2005 Linbury Biennial Prize for stage design.

Theatre designs include: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (The Globe); THYESTES (Arcola, London); UNDER MILK WOOD (Northampton Theatre Royal); NOCTURNAL (The Gate, London); BILLY WONDERFUL (Liverpool Everyman); HORTENSIA AND THE MUSEUM OF DREAMS (Vanbrugh Theatre, RADA); THE SNOW QUEEN (West Yorkshire Playhouse); PROPER CLEVER (Liverpool Playhouse); Pequenas Delicias (Requardt & Company); TORN (Arcola, London); ROADKILL CAFE (Requardt & Company, Centro Coreografico de Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal / Teatro Fondamenta Nuove, Venice / The Place). House Of Agnes (Paines Plough); Breakfast With Mugabe (Theatre Royal Bath); The Cracks In My Skin and WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (Manchester Royal Exchange); OTHELLO (Salisbury Playhouse); AS YOU LIKE IT and WE THAT ARE LEFT (Watford Palace Theatre); BIG LOVE (The Gate, London); TERRE HAUTE (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh / Trafalgar Studios / UK Tour / 59E59, New York); THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (Bristol Old Vic); JAMMY DODGERS (Requardt & Company, The Place / Royal Opera House 2 / INT Tour); DEATH OF A SALESMAN, WHAT THE BUTLER SAW, BLUE/ORANGE, A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, I JUST STOPPED BY TO SEE THE MAN, TWO and FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE (Bolton Octagon).

London theatre includes: The Un Inspector, Playing With Fire, The Winter's Tale (National Theatre); War and Peace, Passage to India (Shared Experience); A Servant To Two Masters, Pericles, Comedy of Errors, Henry VIII, The Devils, The Time of Your Life (RSC); Hamlet, The Antipodes (Shakespeare's Globe); Leaving, The Skin Game, Dr Knock, Uncle Vanya (Orange Tree Theatre); The Robbers (The Gate); The Tower (Almeida); Twelfth Night (English Touring Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, The Crucible (Young Vic); and several plays in the West End.

TV includes: The Tudors, The South Bank Show on Hardy, Thatcher - The Long Walk to Finchley, The Genius of Mozart, Island at War, Goodnight Mr Tom, Silent Witness, Inspector Morse, Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Holby City Casualty, The Bill, Down to Earth, Taggart, Buddha of Suburbia, Prime Suspect, Red Dwarf, Yes Prime Minister, A Very Peculiar Practise, Dr Who, A Very British Coup, Jewel in the Crown.

Film includes: Clash of the Titans, The Kid, Miss Potter, The Edge Of Love, The Woodlanders, The Curse Of The Pink Panther, Victor/Victoria.

He also writes and directs. His adaptation of "Adam Bede" won a Time Out Award.

Theatre includes Ivanov (Wyndhams Theatre); The Chalk Garden (Donmar Warehouse); Snowbound (Trafalgar Studios, London); Hamlet (The Factory); I Like Mine with a Kiss (The Bush); The Safari Party (New Vic Theatre, Stoke); Hoxton Story (The Red Room); The Life of Galileo, The Crucible, Racing Demon, Absence of War and Murmuring Judges (Birmingham Repertory Theatre); Ballroom (Riverside Stuidos and tour); The Importance Of Being Earnest (The Royal Theatre, Northampton); When The Wind Blows (The Southwark Playhouse); Forty Years On, Northanger Abbey (The Northcott Theatre, Exeter); Sugar Dollies (The Gate Theatre).

Hugh Skinner returns to the Bush Theatre, where he previously appeared in 2 May 1997 and Suddenlossofdignity.com. His other theatre work includes The Great Game (Tricycle Theatre), Angry Young Man (Trafalgar Studios), The Enchantment (National Theatre), Senora Carrar’s Rifles (Young Vic), and ); French Without Tears (Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford). Television credits include Any Human Heart, Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Bonkers; and for film, Day of the Dead.

Bush Green

Myla took part in a week of work experience at the Bush. Here she recounts her experience of reading scripts, booking the Artistic Director’s international travel and helping manage a front of house crisis. As I walked up the stairs to the entrance to Bush Theatre, I honestly hadn’t the slightest idea what to expect…

BAFTA-winning actress Monica Dolan brings her debut play, The B*easts to the Bush Theatre. It follows her award-winning run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Starring Dolan and directed by John Hogarth, The B*easts explores how far one mother will go to give her child what she wants. *Such* clever writing & stellar performance (of course)…

Want more from your theatre trip? Join us for free post-show Q&As, panel discussions and informal theatre chats this season. These live events will aim to provide you, and especially solo attenders, the chance to find meaning through conversation and reflection upon our work. We will ask big questions about the world now: from the nuance of…

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